Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has said that he will reshuffle his Cabinet on Monday to push for the passage of bills to raise the consumption tax, a move that has drawn stiff opposition especially from ruling party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa.
Talking to reporters on Sunday after meeting Ozawa to persuade him to drop his opposition to the bills, Noda said they remained divided on the issue even after a second meeting in five days. He reiterated his resolve to stake his political career in getting the bills passed during the current Diet (Parliament) session.
Noda said he had told Ozawa that he would talk to Opposition parties on possible revision of the bills to win their approval in the Diet, Japanese media reported.
Ozawa told media persons after the meeting that he would oppose the bills if they were put to vote in the Diet. There are other things people want the government to do before asking them to bear a greater tax burden, he said.
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